Overcoming the Thorns
by FlowerofAdversity
Summary: After Severus's death, Rosemary goes through a period of mourning but eventually is able to discover love for a second time.


Overcoming the Thorns

Note: Taking place after the events of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Do not persist in reading unless you have read the last epic of Harry Potter.

Chapter 1—Without Her Love

Rosemary had been mourning for quite some time, although she had been designated as the Potions Master for Hogwarts indefinitely. To be honest with herself, she did miss Severus quite a bit. He had loved her dearly, even though he had never confessed that he loved another more than he had loved her initially to begin with. It had been thought he would never love again, but Rosemary had changed all that during that fateful day when she was chosen to be Madame Hootch's fill-in for mastering the art of flying brooms. She was now no longer Rosemary Alexis Snape, but Rosemary Alexis Nightingale once again. Her usual bubbly presence, her compassion, everything had all but faded for the young woman and her two children Marianna and Stephen were becoming quite concerned for her.

It had been a long time since Lord Voldemort's defeat and the Death Eaters had been vanquished. It wasn't to say that evil would never appear on the forefront of the witches' and wizard's lives (and that's what Dumbledore's Army and the Order of the Phoenix had existed for and would still exist in the case of evil resurfacing), but at least Hogwarts and everything seemed to be running smoothly. A new year was beginning and there would be new students arriving as they always had for the fall. There were a number of different emotions elicited from the new students. Some were overjoyed to be there, others simply wanted to take the 9 ¾ Train back to their homes and had come to the realization that there wasn't any returning to "normalcy" beyond the hallowed halls of the magnificent Witching and Wizardry School. The naysayers would come to enjoy it and adapt in time, while the others would try to make their transition a little more comfortable.

Marianna and Stephen had married of their own accord. Marianna was pared to an animagus by the name of Ignatius Molotov and despite his inflammatory name, he was very magnanimous, gregarious and a tender soul. He had the ability to transform into a dragon, if he wished, but kept the ability hidden since it had a tendency to frighten most people away. His familiar was, appropriately enough, an iguana named Gecky. They had one little boy named Raymond, who would be coming to Hogwarts for his first year. Even though they wouldn't be with him and off about doing their own jobs, he knew that Gecky, his father's familiar would be there as a reminder that papa would always be with him no matter where he went. Stephen married a lovely muggle girl named Fauna, who was a foreigner from Brazil. He had met her on his travels, learning about animals, plants, minerals and muggle anthropology. They both had a little girl named Meriwether (or simply Mary), and her familiar was a kitten from Diana's litter.

The little black kitten was called Smoky. Both had snowy owls of their own, Opal and Frost, who were a male and female pair that would more than likely be mated someday.

Although Rosemary was looking forward to seeing her darling grandchildren, she harkened upon the death of her husband again. A stabbing pain pierced her heart and suddenly she couldn't stop the tears from coming.

"What you did was honorable, my dear, but why…Why did you have to die ? Why couldn't _I_ take your place ?", she thought, crying harshly. She then heard a sound, and thought she saw a shadow.

"Severus ?", she thought, drying her eyes. It was her mind playing tricks on her, and she realized she should probably go back to sleep. Diana, the mother of Smoky, was curled under the crook of her arm, nuzzling her underarm lovingly, purring contently. She sniveled, and thought to herself,

"Why am I being so weak ? Severus would never have wanted me to be so. He would've said, "Rose, please, don't cry. Don't blight that gorgeous face which is too pure for tears. I'm alright where I am, so please don't worry for me. We'll see each other again one day, but you must live and teach the new students the best you can, my dear. You know I will always love you. That will never change. You are my dear Rose. Remain steadfast, remain diligent, and above all, never lose your spirit.""

With that thought, she stopped her crying and had the most incredible dream. She thought she saw her beloved, still wearing his usual Professor's robes, rushing up to her to embrace her and kiss her passionately.

"I'll always be with you.", he said, running a gentle hand through her silken, brunette hair. Her dark, chocolate eyes sparkled. She still missed him, but for once, she felt a sense of closure.

"You're not unhappy with my name change ? I was…afraid that you might be…", Rosemary started until he placed a long, elegant index finger against her satin lips.

"Why would I be ? I want you to be happy. You will never be without love. And even if you do marry again, I won't be upset. Beyond Lily Potter, and my friends at Hogwarts, you saw me as an actual _wizard_. Not anything else. I felt normal.", Severus confessed. He had remembered her telling her this before. She blushed as she remembered her own Patronus during the final battle against the Death Eaters. She had always wanted a silver doe like Severus', but instead, she had an eagle, which was perhaps the most powerful and respected of all protecting charms. She wouldn't have wanted it to be any other way but that, though and she didn't feel jealous. She felt ecstatic, losing herself to the closeness of his caring embrace and the warmth of his lips on her cheek. She knew he had to leave when the dream ended, but for once, she accepted and understood that. It was time to stop mourning and to become what she had always been; a faye spirit with fire and spunk. Nothing would ever change that, for that was what she had always been, and forever would be.

Chapter 2—The Nightingale Flock

That fall, Rosemary had no idea that she would be seeing her grandchildren for the first time. She was still the Potions Master, and her good friend, the animagus James Falcous was directing Defense Against the Dark Arts. He had taken Remus' place who was living peacefully in England somewhere, but his children were attending the school this year so it was like he had never departed. There was a new Herbology professor named Petunia Planter, and she was quite well liked, particularly by the male students. She was probably the loveliest female professor there, save Rosemary herself, and if she wasn't receiving a proposal, Rosemary was. Petunia was happily engaged though, and looking forward to getting married in the following year, but Rosemary was still single. She didn't mind it, though from time to time, she missed Severus, which was understandable. She wasn't aware, however, that her fortune was about to take a turn for the better when the Hogwarts Ball took place. That was quite far away at the moment, since school was only beginning and the fall weather had just settled in.

Rosemary was soon introduced to her grandchildren, Raymond and Mary. Both had much promise even though they were so young, and they wanted to hear all the stories of the legendary Harry Potter from their grandmother's point of view. She hadn't seen it all with her eyes, but she could see it as if it had happened right in front of her as if she had witnessed it. It was a story she delighted in telling to her newest students, and wasn't afraid to mention the man whom she had loved for many years. His painting was still in the classroom, and strangely enough, it was one of the few pieces that had been done of him when he had smiled. He had been misunderstood, but all in all, he had been an incredibly kind, compassionate individual, and she would never forget that, nor allow anyone else to ever see him as anything but loving, gentle, and a man who had stupendous valor.

As Rosemary taught with vibrancy, she had been momentarily disrupted from her lesson. The new headmaster, Minerva McGonagall had wanted to see her about how to discipline a new young Slytherin student that had been causing mischief. She meant no ill-will but she did enjoy scaring the bejeezus out of everyone else. Her name was Courtney Macintosh. She was originally from Scotland and had oddly come from a line of muggles and wizards. Her family line was mostly that of muggles, and usually Slytherin didn't accept anything but full-blooded wizards or witches, but since the changes in the school code, this had changed. Though she was one of the few in the Slytherin house she was already well-liked because of her easy-going nature and her splendid smile. The only matter now was the fact that she tended to be a bit on the mischievous side. Apparently, she had enchanted another student's Bott's Every Flavor Beans and they had jumped to the far corners of the school, randomly landing in open mouths everywhere. Unfortunately, one had landed in Rosemary's mouth and it was dirt flavored. At least she was spared vomit or booger flavored.

Rosemary had a chat with Courtney and wondered why she had been acting in this manner.

"Mum and dad never really spend that much time together, let alone with me. It seems they couldn't wait to drop me off at Hogwarts. I'm not a bad girl, I just like having fun. I know I should probably do so more in moderation.", Courtney confessed. Rosemary patted the little fiery-headed girl on the back, feeling sorry for her. She could sense that Courtney's parents were probably going through a divorce, but the details were fuzzy about how this ever came about. Rosemary wondered if Courtney ever felt and responsibility for this breakup, but if she did, she let her know she wasn't the problem and to never think that she was. She promised never to get into trouble again to mind herself when she was in Hogwarts. She knew she would have plenty of time for play at a later time, but since she was in an educational environment, she knew she would have to mind her p's and q's. Besides, she quite liked Rosemary and had formed a quick bond with her, like a surrogate daughter.

Chapter 3—The Red-Haired Cupid

It was Christmas at Hogwarts and the mood was one of goodwill, mirth, togetherness, and most importantly, love. Although it was difficult for Rosemary to be alone during this time of the year, being surrounded by her grandchildren's love was enough to help her pull through the hard times and provide her with plenty of hugs and kisses to tide her over. The spirit of the season overtook her sadness though and she had returned to her usual exuberant self. However, a fairytale was about to occur in her life the night of the Ball. It's true that true love could be encountered more than once in someone's lifetime, and Rosemary was about to discover that fact for herself.

Courtney was dancing close to the scruffy brunette Raymond, seeming to enjoy every moment of it. She was dancing so vigorously and with such abandon that she and Raymond knocked Rosemary into a fellow wizard who had been drinking some butter beer. Some of the beer had spilled upon his fine robes but with a whisk of his wand, the stain had disappeared.

"Oh, I'm sorry Magus, sorry Rosemary !", Courtney said as she waltzed in the opposite direction with a dazzling grin upon her youthful, pink-cheeked face.

When Rosemary looked up to see who she had bumped into, she turned as magenta as her robes and tried hiding her face behind her mask. Magus Phoenixfire was a professor of Occlumency as well as Healing Arts. He hadn't been in Hogwarts long, but there had been a new house developed thanks to his involvement. The house was called Phoenixfire and was welcome to all, especially those who wanted to learn the art of medicine, enlightenment and healing. He was its creator and its patron. Rosemary admired him for his innovation and found herself gazing into his deep sapphire eyes.

"Did you want to dance with me, Ms. Nightengale ?", Magus questioned, offering her his strong right hand. Again, she blushed, feeling as if her tongue had swelled up.

"That would be wonderful, I would be honored. Oh, and you can call me Rose, Magus.", Rosemary said with a tender smile. He took her hand into his gently and began dancing with her into the wee hours of the morning.

By the time the couple had finished dancing, the celebration had come to an end. In a few more days, it would be Christmas. Strangely enough, Magus and Rosemary met under an enchanted mistletoe garland that seemed to grow rather mysteriously.

"Why, would you look at that ! Mistletoe !", Magus said, as he held Rosemary's hand lovingly. He had only just met Rosemary, but he had gotten to know a lot about her during their dance and found her presence intoxicating. She leaned forward and kissed his cheek.

"Thanks for the superb dance. You're really quite light on your feet.", Rosemary said. Magus wrapped his arms around her and kissed her lovingly for what seemed to be an eternity. Then, without saying another word, he took her hand and ushered her back to her quarters before they parted ways.

Chapter 4—Wrapped With Love

A yuletide celebration was usually held in the ballroom of the gargantuan castle before the wizards and witches returned to their places of origin. Most of them had domiciles that weren't too terribly far from Hogwarts and could be reached within a few minutes by foot. Others had to make a trip by broom or Floo Powder, depending on where they were. Muggles hadn't seemed to notice the wizards and witches coming and going but the rift between the two realms, magical and physical had been torn since the battle against the Dark Lord. Everyone simply accepted that. Not all people, muggle or wizard were on good terms, but for the most part, everyone got along fairly well.

Rosemary's entire family had been able to come and wish her a happy holiday and all were introduced to her new boyfriend. It was rather sudden to have called Magus that, but he didn't seem to mind, in fact, he welcomed the terms of endearment and hoped that perhaps someday he could become a member of the family himself. Of course, this wouldn't happen immediately, but it would probably happen in about a year's time if the romance continued to remain as vibrant as it did when the two were brought together accidentally by Courtney.

Magus had given Rosemary a locket with a heart and their pictures inside since the recent faculty holiday photo. Rosemary had given him a ring with a phoenix on it, and he had never taken it off since the gift exchange. Before they departed for the night and the witches and wizards returned to their homes for the remainder of the Christmas holiday and look forward to the spring that was inevitably around the corner ushering in another new semester at Hogwarts. With spring brought new changes, and new prospects. There was always something exciting and stupendous to look forward to.

Epilogue 

In about a year's time, Rosemary and Magus were able to marry, and he didn't mind the fact that she already had children and grandchildren of his own. Though he had wanted his own children, he understood Rosemary's wishes and had adopted Stephen, Mariana and the grandchildren as his own flesh and blood. He hadn't grown under such a large roof before but he was glad the Phoenixfires were cozying up to the Nightingales like they were long-lost siblings that had just reunited.

As for the little redheaded girl that Rosemary helped during the last year in Hogwarts, she had continued her learning in splendid fashion and her parents had gotten back together. The divorce papers were never finalized and her parents had been able to work everything out albeit that they perceived life was going awry for them. In actuality, it hadn't, it was the money that was the problem, and since their new jobs and new prospects, money was plentiful and love was abundant. She still had quite a crush on little Raymond, who didn't mind all the attention. He found the fiery-spirited ginger quite welcoming and hoped that he could become her steady boyfriend in the years ahead.

It was always going to be intriguing for anyone who was involved with magic to forge ahead into the future, not knowing what it held. Even if evil was lurking, the wizards and witches would defeat it, no matter how many times it returned. But at least now there was no more Dark Lord to worry about, and education could continue as it had in so many years past. As another day came to a close, the students chatted on their way to their quarters and the professors bade each other goodnight. From the stars, Rosemary thought she swore she saw Severus' smile among them. She couldn't help but grin herself, knowing that he watched her and loved her dearly from heaven. In a way, he would always be with them and never be forgotten by the many lives he had touched so much.

The End


End file.
